Reel to reel | Week of August 30, 2012

So, if I open this box, a really terrible, predictable movie will come out? Whoopsie! - The Possession

2016: OBAMA’S AMERICA

A film by Dinesh D’Souza, author of Obama’s America: Unmaking the American Dream, speculates on how another four years of Obama as president would allow his sordid past to ruin America’s future. Rated PG. At Century.

THE APPARITION

A presence unleashed during a university parapsychology experiment haunts a young couple. Rated PG-13. At Century.

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

Forget concerns about star power and familiarity. Fight to see this movie and to let it be seen. We have never needed a coming-of-age fable set against environmental and poverty concerns as much as we need this. And it is more than up to the challenge. Rated PG-13. At Century and Mayan. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

THE BOURNE LEGACY

As the Bourne series continues minus its star, Matt Damon, we find out about another super-secret spy program that produced super-secret super spies. Jeremy Renner stars as one of the program’s experimental subjects who, after the program is terminated, becomes the subject of a global manhunt, with Rachel Weisz starring as Renner’s doctor friend/sidekick/love interest. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

THE CAMPAIGN

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis play dueling politicians who are only slightly more addled and alarming than our real ones. Vulgar but hilarious, unrealistic but not without its own point, this is consistently funny, which is all you can ask for in a genre like this. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

CASTLE IN THE SKY

A young girl with a mysterious crystal pendant falls out of the sky and into the arms and life of young Pazu. Together they search for a floating island in the sky, site of a longdead civilization. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax — Denver Film Society

CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER

Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) met in high school and are a young married couple who are growing apart. Now 30, Celeste is the driven owner of her own media consulting firm, while Jesse is once again unemployed and in no particular rush to do anything with his life. Celeste is convinced that divorcing Jesse is the right thing to do — she is on her way up, he is on his way nowhere. At Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

COMPLIANCE

Based on true events, Compliance tells the chilling story of just how far one might go to obey a figure of authority. On a busy day at a suburban fast food joint, high-strung manager Sandra (Ann Dowd) receives a phone call from a police officer saying an employee, a pretty young blonde named Becky (Dreama Walker) has stolen money from a customer. Convinced she’s only doing what’s right, Sandra commences the investigation, following step-by-step instructions from the caller no matter how invasive they become. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

COSMOPOLIS

New York City, not-too-distant-future: Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson), a 28-year-old finance golden boy dreaming of living in a civilization ahead of this one, watches a dark shadow cast over Wall Street. As he is chauffeured across midtown Manhattan to get a haircut at his father’s old barber, his anxious eyes are glued to the yuan’s exchange rate: It is mounting against all expectations, destroying Eric’s bet against it. Based on the novel by Don DeLillo. At Century and Denver Film Center. — Denver Film Society

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Director Christopher Nolan’s D.C. superhero legacy comes to an end as unwelcome and reluctant hero Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) dons his cape and deepens his voice once more. Batman battles for the future of Gotham against ruthless criminal Bane (Tom Hardy) with the help of the “catty” Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS

The latest installment in this series based on the popular books sends the wimpy kid off on appropriately wimpy summer misadventures. Rated PG. At Colony Square.

THE EXPENDABLES 2

The Expendables reunite for a bloody film bulked up with a cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

FAREWELL, MY QUEEN

The period film Farewell, My Queen marks the return of acclaimed director Benoît Jacquot (A Single Girl, Sade) and brilliantly captures the passions, debauchery, occasional glimpses of nobility and ultimately the chaos that engulfed the court of Marie Antoinette in the final days before the Revolution. Rated R. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

THE GREEN WAVE

Green is the color of hope. Green is the color of Islam. And green was the symbol of recognition among the supporters of presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who became the symbolic figure of the Green Revolution in Iran last year. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax — Denver Film Society

Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones play a married couple seeking to rekindle a big romance in the hands of a couples counselor (Steve Carell) in a small town. Tommy Lee at his most endearingly gruff and Meryl at her most blushingly flustered. Rated PG-13. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

THE IMPOSTER

Documentary meets film noir in the riveting jaw-dropper The Imposter, a true story that has the twists and turns of a thriller. In 1994 a 13-year-old boy disappears without a trace from San Antonio, Texas. Three and a half years later he is found alive, thousands of miles away in a village in southern Spain with a story of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed to bring him home. But all is not quite as it seems. At Boedecker. — Landmark Theatres

THE INTOUCHABLES

The Intouchables, by French writer/directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, is the inspiring true story of two men who should never have met — a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects. At Century and Esquire. — Landmark Theatres

KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE

From the legendary Hayao Miyazaki comes the beloved story of a resourceful young witch who uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self-doubt. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

LAWLESS

Because when the law says you can’t drink, only criminals will have alcohol. Based on the true story of the Bondurant brothers, bootleggers who fought back against the injustice of Prohibition. Rated R. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks.

LOVE NEVER DIES

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much-anticipated sequel to the multi-award winning The Phantom of the Opera takes us on a journey to New York, where the Phantom has escaped the fire at the Paris Opera House to begin a new life amongst the freaks and sideshows on Coney Island. A fully staged performance at The Regent Theatre in Melbourne, Australia. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

MOONRISE KINGDOM

Once more, writer/director Wes Anderson dips his stylish pen into murky, melancholy tales of whimsy. This time out, the Royal Tenenbaums auteur follows a young “Khaki Scout” who flees from his troop and troop leader (Edward Norton) while camping on an island to unite with his prepubescent and troubled gal pal. Her parents, played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormand, and the island cop (Bruce Willis) give chase in this Instagram fairy tale. At Mayan. ­— The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND

The debut film from Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaa is considered by many to be his masterwork. Set in a devastated future world decimated by atmospheric poisons and swarming with gigantic insects, Nausicaa is the story of a young princess whose love for all living things and passionate determination to understand the processes of nature lead her into terrible danger, sacrifice and eventual triumph. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax — Denver Film Society

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN

A young couple learns to expect the unexpected when it comes to children in this frolicky romp of a story that purposefully comes off with too much shine to be taken seriously. Rated PG. At Century and Colony Square.

THE OOGIELOVES IN THE BIG BALLOON ADVENTURE

The Oogieloves — Goobie, Zoozie and Toofie — must track down five missing magical balloons for a secret surprise party. Toni Braxton, Cloris Leachman and Christopher Lloyd, who have nothing better to do with their time, help out. At Colony Square.

PARANORMAN 3D

Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) sees dead people. This comes in handy when a witch that haunts his hometown is on the verge of creating mass hysteria and destruction. With few trusting friends and family members, this pre-teen makes with the funny and delivers a vastly important message, all while ducking brain-eating zombies. Not too shabby. Rated PG. At Century, Colony Square and Twin Peaks. — The Reader of Omaha, Neb.

POM POKO

In this Studio Ghibli masterpiece, the forests are filled with groups of magical tanuki, mischievous raccoon-like animals from Japanese folklore that are capable of shape-shifting from their standard raccoon form to practically any object. At Denver FilmCenter/ Colfax — Denver Film Society

THE POSSESSION

A little girl buys a box full of trouble at a yard sale. The spirit inside is determined to inhabit and then eat her. Her family, and a rabbi, come to the rescue. But how films like this get to tag themselves as “based on a true story” is the real mystery. Rated PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks.

With the epic dimensions of a Shakespearean tragedy, The Queen of Versailles follows billionaires Jackie and David’s rags-to-riches story to uncover the innate virtues and flaws of the American dream. At Chez Artiste — Landmark Theatres

THE RAID: REDEMPTION

As a rookie member of an elite special-forces team, Rama is instructed to hang back during a covert mission involving the extraction of a brutal crime lord from a rundown apartment block. Then a spotter blows their cover. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

THE REVENANT

A horror comedy in the vein of Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland, the film tells the story of a soldier (David Anders, from TV’s 24 and Vampire Diaries) who is killed in Iraq and then finds himself resurrected as a “revenant,” or one who has returned from the dead. He turns to his slacker best friend (Chris Wylde, of Descent and The Ten) to help him manage his newfound thirst for blood, and the duo quickly realize that this zombie-fied state is a perfect opportunity to become vigilante crime fighters. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

ROBOT & FRANK

In the dramatic comedy Robot & Frank, set in the near future, Frank, a retired cat burglar, has two grown kids who are concerned he can no longer live alone. They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until Frank’s son chooses a different option: Against the old man’s wishes, he buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres

RUBY SPARKS

Calvin (Paul Dano) is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing — as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby (Zoe Kazan), in the flesh, sitting on his couch about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted. Rated R. At Century. — Landmark Theatres

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

In this scrappy romantic comedy, an unusual classified ad inspires three cynical Seattle Magazine employees to look for the story behind it. They discover a mysterious eccentric named Kenneth, a likable but paranoid supermarket clerk, who believes he’s solved the riddle of time travel and intends to depart again soon. At Denver FilmCenter/Colfax. — Denver Film Society

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN

In the late ’60s, two celebrated producers discovered a musician in a Detroit bar — an artist who reminded them of a Chicano Bob Dylan, perhaps even greater. They believed the album they subsequently produced with Rodriguez — Cold Fact — was the masterpiece of their producing careers. In fact, the album bombed and the singer disappeared into obscurity amid rumors of a gruesome on-stage suicide. But a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and became a phenomenon. At Mayan. — Landmark Theatres

SPARKLE

First, pause and consider that we’ve now seen more than 11 seasons of American Idol go by. OK, now. Jordin Sparks, American Idol #6, stars in a movie that is, predictably, about a talented young singer struggling to get her big break as a star. Rated PG-13. At Century.

TAKE THIS WALTZ

When Margot meets Daniel their chemistry is intense and immediate. But Margot suppresses her sudden attraction; she is happily married. When Margot learns that Daniel lives across the street from her, the certainty of her domestic life shatters. At Boedecker. — Boedecker Theater

TOTAL RECALL

Because the premise of implanted memories doesn’t sound problematic enough, this remake of the Schwarzenegger classic trips over its own action sequences in ways likely to make it totally forgettable. Rated PG-13. At Century and Twin Peaks.

UNFORGIVABLE

Francis is a successful crime writer who moves to Venice to work on his next novel. When he meets model-turned-real-estate-agent Judith, he is instantly infatuated. Francis and Judith eventually marry and move to a remote house on Torcello Island, but Francis’ newfound happiness hinders his writing. Obsessing over what Judith does while at work, he hires a young ex-convict to investigate. At Chez Artiste — Landmark Theatres

THE WELL-DIGGER’S DAUGHTER

A sun-soaked melodrama about a hard-working well-digger who is raising six girls on his own after the death of his wife. Holding a special place in his heart is his beautiful eldest daughter, 18-year-old Patricia (the luminous Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), who has come home from school in Paris to help care for her sisters. At Chez Artiste. — Landmark Theatres